Mayo GAA Discussion Thread

Clareman · 22-08-2011 9:15am

Folks if you have a problem with a post, report it and we'll deal with it.

This thread is about Mayo GAA, not gloating or trolling

spider guardian · 22-08-2011 7:13pm

Chin up lads, it's been a good year for Mayo football. Nestor cup is in the bag and we put in a serious performance against Cork. Yesterday was disappointing but at least there is potential in the team. We ran out of steam towards the end of the first half and Kerry simply had more firepower and stamina in the second. Gooch seems to pick and choose his matches in which to come alive.

What changes should Horan make next year? I don't think we'll see both O'Shea brothers at midfield, they were well-beaten yesterday. Also our forward line was anaemic, O'Connor got a lovely goal but overall there was poor returns although in fairness to Andy Moran he could easily have scored two goals. Dillon also worked as hard as he could.

Otherwise the experience will stand to them, some more fitness, strength and accuracy upfront and we will be a force to be reckoned with next year. Given what happened against Longford last year we are in a very good position to further improve.

Maigh Eo abu!

Fr Tod Umptious · 24-08-2011 2:16pm

spider guardian wrote: »

Chin up lads, it's been a good year for Mayo football. Nestor cup is in the bag and we put in a serious performance against Cork. Yesterday was disappointing but at least there is potential in the team. We ran out of steam towards the end of the first half and Kerry simply had more firepower and stamina in the second. Gooch seems to pick and choose his matches in which to come alive.

What changes should Horan make next year? I don't think we'll see both O'Shea brothers at midfield, they were well-beaten yesterday. Also our forward line was anaemic, O'Connor got a lovely goal but overall there was poor returns although in fairness to Andy Moran he could easily have scored two goals. Dillon also worked as hard as he could.

Otherwise the experience will stand to them, some more fitness, strength and accuracy upfront and we will be a force to be reckoned with next year. Given what happened against Longford last year we are in a very good position to further improve.

Maigh Eo abu!

That's all well a good from a supporters point of view to be happy with the year but I would like it if this set of players and back-room team were pi**ed off with themselves.

One thing Kerry do great is disappointment.

Each year they do not win an All Ireland they have an unbelievable motivation the next year to win one, and Mayo have been on the other end of that motivation more than once.

Mayo teams need to start thinking the same way.

This team have to start 2012 with the thought that they threw away a great chance to beat Kerry in 2011 and anything but an All Ireland final appearance in 2012 should be a disappointment to this team.

Too often Mayo players like to sit on their laurels and be happy with a start place on the team or a good run in the championship, that has to change if they are going to win anything.

And the prize for winning an All Ireland is that they will become legends in their own lifetimes.

yop · 24-08-2011 2:24pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

That's all well a good from a supporters point of view to be happy with the year but I would like it if this set of players and back-room team were pi**ed off with themselves.

One thing Kerry do great is disappointment.

Each year they do not win an All Ireland they have an unbelievable motivation the next year to win one, and Mayo have been on the other end of that motivation more than once.

Mayo teams need to start thinking the same way.

This team have to start 2012 with the thought that they threw away a great chance to beat Kerry in 2011 and anything but an All Ireland final appearance in 2012 should be a disappointment to this team.

Too often Mayo players like to sit on their laurels and be happy with a start place on the team or a good run in the championship, that has to change if they are going to win anything.

And the prize for winning an All Ireland is that they will become legends in their own lifetimes.

Bang on post that, yes 2011 was a "bedding in" period for the team and yes they probably exceeded expectations but an AI final appearance was within their grasp for 35 minutes.
A little naivity and heads dropping didn't help but 2012 the aim has to be an AI appearance.

Time will tell, Horan and the team are well pi**ed off after that for sure, how they will react will be the key.

Syferus · 24-08-2011 2:33pm

yop wrote: »

Bang on post that, yes 2011 was a "bedding in" period for the team and yes they probably exceeded expectations but an AI final appearance was within their grasp for 35 minutes.
A little naivity and heads dropping didn't help but 2012 the aim has to be an AI appearance.

Time will tell, Horan and the team are well pi**ed off after that for sure, how they will react will be the key.

Without trying to sound fatalistic, winning Connacht again next season will be progress for Mayo, or indeed for whoever does.

Galway will surely be an improved outfit after the last two years of almost complete annihilation, Roscommon will improve further and Sligo with David Kelly back should give a far better account of themselves next year. Hopefully the net result is all Connacht teams make progress, but Mayo really shouldn't be thinking about the All-Ireland series in that context.

Fr Tod Umptious · 24-08-2011 2:39pm

So what do you do with Aidan o Shea ?

He is not a midfielder

He is not as dominant in the forwards as he was as a minor

What does he have to do to improve himself ?

And is Sheamus good enough to stay at midfield, and if so who do you put there with him ?
I no longer live in Mayo so i don't really know who is there at the clubs.

finisklin · 24-08-2011 2:44pm

Ron McGarrity has the experience of making midfield his own. Whether that's with Aidan O'Shea or not who knows. Some quality players unearthed in McLoughlin and O'Connor. Plenty to build on depends on how well Horan can hold the tiller. Maintaining cohesion is going to be the challenge. Horan had a good first year - very low key, unassuming approach which I liked.

yop · 24-08-2011 3:03pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

So what do you do with Aidan o Shea ?

He is not a midfielder

He is not as dominant in the forwards as he was as a minor

What does he have to do to improve himself ?

And is Sheamus good enough to stay at midfield, and if so who do you put there with him ?
I no longer live in Mayo so i don't really know who is there at the clubs.

Considering they are both young lads and we outside of McGarrity there isn't a lot of experience I think they should be left. Aidan needs to slim down another 1/2 to a stone but you have to remember that he doesn't need to make these lung bursting runs into the forward line.
He has the power to get his hands on the ball in the middle, use that and pass the ball off.

Gibbons is there, still young and very light, going to improve I am sure.
Kilcullen - never convinced me at all.
Harte - Hot and cold, not great strenghts.
Parsons - dropped off panel, not sure what is going to happen with him.

Outside of that I can't think of anyone else who can come in there.

Patience is needed here a bit with them 2 lad, work on their speed and use their strengths. They are both big men, can be a good or a bad thing!

davegrohl48 · 24-08-2011 3:17pm

Well at least Aidan O'Shea is admitting where he is coming from performance wise and the work he has to go yet. He admitted in interviews that his fitness was sub par in 2010 (he was a stone heavier than 2011) and it had a big part in him playing poorly for all of 2010 when he was full forward.
2011 while still not being at the races fitness wise was a major improvement on 2011.
As we seen against Kerry once O'Shea is having a bad day on the kickouts he is a bit limited in general play when it comes to working, passing, offering a linkup option etc.
So maybe full forward is the only option for a 2012 version of OShea when he should be fitter than 2011. It will obviously be tried out.
Midfield maybe Seamus OShea will stay there and be a bit more mobile. It takes often two seasons to get big men fit. Their bodies just don't adjust as quick. Seamus showed glimmers of potential against Kerry in appearing to be a quicker more accurate passer of the ball and having a better engine than Aidan. Seamus only plays well coming onto ball as we seen when he was tried in the forwards.
Midfielders in the county?
- Seen a bit of Barry Kelly (think that was right name) Ballaghadereen but not enough to judge, from what I seen he played with his head up, was physical and had football in him (Some on here would know more about him).
- Use Vaughan as a worker? But then yer losing centre back.
- Ronan Mc after a serious Winter strength program, don't rule it out.
- James Ruddy Knockmore isn't it? Big fella, fairly mobile.
It might be time to go with a smaller, mobile, hard working, linkup type player who can score rather than a big 6'4" guy. Seamus for his strength, the smaller man for the linkups? Not that many big men are skilled footballers or mobile both attributes we are well short of in the middle of the pitch.

Panrich · 24-08-2011 5:00pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

That's all well a good from a supporters point of view to be happy with the year but I would like it if this set of players and back-room team were pi**ed off with themselves.

One thing Kerry do great is disappointment.

Each year they do not win an All Ireland they have an unbelievable motivation the next year to win one, and Mayo have been on the other end of that motivation more than once.

Mayo teams need to start thinking the same way.

This team have to start 2012 with the thought that they threw away a great chance to beat Kerry in 2011 and anything but an All Ireland final appearance in 2012 should be a disappointment to this team.

Too often Mayo players like to sit on their laurels and be happy with a start place on the team or a good run in the championship, that has to change if they are going to win anything.

And the prize for winning an All Ireland is that they will become legends in their own lifetimes.

Agreed. If you look back on the year as a whole you have to be pleased and any talk doubting the manager at this point is being over-reactive in the extreme. Look at the work that Gilroy is doing with Dublin in his third year. It is easy to forget that in his first year in charge, they ran into Kerry and came off the wrong side of a 17 point drubbing. If the manager can continue to improve and learn along with the team, then he should be given our full support.

gaelic cowboy · 24-08-2011 8:26pm

yop wrote: »

Parsons - dropped off panel, not sure what is going to happen with him.

Parsons is not up to snuff he is worse than the O'Sheas

If it was me I stick Aidan in full forward for the league and try Seamie an Ronan mac as starting midfiled with Kilcullen as man to replace whoever.

If were going to persist with this sweeper thing then thats the best way forward. (bar finding another two new midfielders)

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 9:37pm

Aidan O'Shea is only 20, so let's cut him some slack.

He tried hard and was one of Mayo's better players on the day in a very crowded midfield area with Brosnan, Donaghy and Galvan all crowding the midfield as well.

He has the makings of a very good footballer, if managed properly. But he needs to stop running into players and learn how to pass and kick. Most modern midfielders catch the ball and lay it off to smaller more skillful players, and he needs to do the same, instead of awkwardly running into trouble.

There was a lot wrong with the Mayo team on Sunday, and the management were to blame for a lot of it.

O'Shea against Cork ran into opposition tackles over and over. Horan should have ordered him not to do it again. Guess what, against Kerry he did almost exactly the same thing.

Mayo forwards had no gameplan either.

Management have to stand up and take responsibility.

Mayo beat a lot of poor teams to get where they were. If they went through the back door, they could well have been beaten like they were last year.

Horan and his staff have to vastly improve their management imo.

ColeTrain · 24-08-2011 9:41pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

Mayo forwards had no gameplan either.

Management have to stand up and take responsibility.

Mayo beat a lot of poor teams to get where they were. If they went through the back door, they could well have been beaten like they were last year.

Horan and his staff have to vastly improve their management imo.

That's absolute nonsense.

Horan and co have done excellent this year. Connacht champions, knocked out the holders and made Kerry sweat for a while. Huge progress this year compared to last.

Don't know what else you were expecting. Some Mayo fans will always moan.

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 9:50pm

ColeTrain wrote: »

That's absolute nonsense.

Horan and co have done excellent this year. Connacht champions, knocked out the holders and made Kerry sweat for a while. Huge progress this year compared to last.

Don't know what else you were expecting. Some Mayo fans will always moan.

Tell me what great team they beat so?

They met only one decent team all year, Kerry and were hammered out the door.

Even the maligned Maughan never lost to Kerry by that much and he beat Kerry in his first year in charge, as well as manager of Clare.

First year or no first year, a 9 point defeat to the only decent team they met in the championship is no achievement.

Winning Connacht is no real achievement either, Mayo have won it comfortably in previous years and then gone on to get thrashed in the AI.

He hasn't brought the team a long way.

Blackjack · 24-08-2011 10:00pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

Tell me what great team they beat so?

They met only one decent team all year, Kerry and were hammered out the door.

Even the maligned Maughan never lost to Kerry by that much and he beat Kerry in his first year in charge, as well as manager of Clare.

First year or no first year, a 9 point defeat to the only decent team they met in the championship is no achievement.

Winning Connacht is no real achievement either, Mayo have won it comfortably in previous years and then gone on to get thrashed in the AI.

He hasn't brought the team a long way.

Ah hold on now - we lost to Sligo and Longford and were out of the championship after only 2 games last year.

Has that even happened to a Mayo team since the qualifiers started?. I don't think so.

This year we were written off against every team we met bar London.
We beat Cork (last years champions) for the first time since 1916.

More to come from this team. Give them a chance, that includes management.

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 10:05pm

Blackjack wrote: »

Ah hold on now - we lost to Sligo and Longford and were out of the championship after only 2 games last year.

Has that even happened to a Mayo team since the qualifiers started?. I don't think so.

This year we were written off against every team we met bar London.
We beat Cork (last years champions) for the first time since 1916.

More to come from this team. Give them a chance, that includes management.

We were slightly better this year than last, but we could have easily lost to London.

But if we have ambitions to win an AI, being slightly better than awful is no help.

From what I saw on Sunday, this team and management are as far off winning an AI as any in the recent past.

Blackjack · 24-08-2011 10:11pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

We were slightly better this year than last, but we could have easily lost to London.

But if we have ambitions to win an AI, being slightly better than awful is no help.

From what I saw on Sunday, this team and management are as far off winning an AI as any in the recent past.

I'd have called it progress, myself.

ColeTrain · 24-08-2011 10:12pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

Tell me what great team they beat so?

They met only one decent team all year, Kerry and were hammered out the door.

Even the maligned Maughan never lost to Kerry by that much and he beat Kerry in his first year in charge, as well as manager of Clare.

First year or no first year, a 9 point defeat to the only decent team they met in the championship is no achievement.

Winning Connacht is no real achievement either, Mayo have won it comfortably in previous years and then gone on to get thrashed in the AI.

He hasn't brought the team a long way.

Not sure if you're being serious tbh. But I'll play along.

Roscommon are a very decent team, had to play them on their patch in tough conditions. It was a real test.

Oh yeah and the champions - are they not a good team ffs??

Never mind how much we lost by against Kerry. If you watched the game then you'll see the better team won on the day but Kerry were tested. Mayo were right in it at half time, if we put a couple of goal chances away then it's a different game. Kerry had that class though because they've done it before. Something the Mayo lads will learn.

Also, who cares about Maughan? That's going back the years with no relevance to James Horan or his team.

We have some fine prospects at the moment. I was disappointed after Sunday but couldn't complain one bit. Done very well this year.

I'll ask you again - after Sligo and Longford last year, what were you realistically expecting?

Fr Tod Umptious · 24-08-2011 10:14pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

Tell me what great team they beat so?

They met only one decent team all year, Kerry and were hammered out the door.

First year or no first year, a 9 point defeat to the only decent team they met in the championship is no achievement.

Winning Connacht is no real achievement either, Mayo have won it comfortably in previous years and then gone on to get thrashed in the AI.

Now that is the kind of attitude the players have to have all winter and at the start of 2012.

The fans can think what they like but the team, players and management need to be looking for improvement all the time.

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 10:20pm

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Now that is the kind of attitude the players have to have all winter and at the start of 2012.

The fans can think what they like but the team, players and management need to be looking for improvement all the time.

Yep exactly.

Dublin realised a year or two ago that winning Leinster was worthless when it came to the AI. These days, they hardly put an effort into winning Leinster.

It's the same with Connaght, it's hardly worth winning.

Mayo team, management and supporters need higher standards.

Winning Connaght and losing 9 points to Kerry is not progress.

And from now on Mayo fans need to think that all that matters is winning the AI, not winning Connaght or beating Cork or Kerry in the league and so on.

Only the AI counts and success there.

Fowler87 · 24-08-2011 10:21pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

We were slightly better this year than last, but we could have easily lost to London.

But if we have ambitions to win an AI, being slightly better than awful is no help.

From what I saw on Sunday, this team and management are as far off winning an AI as any in the recent past.

I feel people are being awful derogratory towards London. From listening to the game, they played to quite a high standard with decent quality football. They were well prepared for Mayo and ok, caught them on the hop and should have finished us off.

But lets not forget the type of player they are getting over their now due to the economic downturn. Still no excuses, Mayo should have done the job against a Division 4 side. But Londons hammering (they were 10 up at ht) against Fermanagh (who were AI semi finalists not too long ago) proved they are improving..

ColeTrain · 24-08-2011 10:23pm

Fowler87 wrote: »

I feel people are being awful derogratory towards London. From listening to the game, they played to quite a high standard with decent quality football. They were well prepared for Mayo and ok, caught them on the hop and should have finished us off.

But lets not forget the type of player they are getting over their now due to the economic downturn. Still no excuses, Mayo should have done the job against a Division 4 side. But Londons hammering (they were 10 up at ht) against Fermanagh (who were AI semi finalists not too long ago) proved they are improving..

Fermanagh had a second string team over there tbf.

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 10:24pm

ColeTrain wrote: »

Not sure if you're being serious tbh. But I'll play along.

Roscommon are a very decent team, had to play them on their patch in tough conditions. It was a real test.

Oh yeah and the champions - are they not a good team ffs??

Never mind how much we lost by against Kerry. If you watched the game then you'll see the better team won on the day but Kerry were tested. Mayo were right in it at half time, if we put a couple of goal chances away then it's a different game. Kerry had that class though because they've done it before. Something the Mayo lads will learn.

Also, who cares about Maughan? That's going back the years with no relevance to James Horan or his team.

We have some fine prospects at the moment. I was disappointed after Sunday but couldn't complain one bit. Done very well this year.

I'll ask you again - after Sligo and Longford last year, what were you realistically expecting?

Grand I will say this straight so.

Roscommon were poor this year, an average Tyrone team walloped them. Galway were poor, remind me how they did in the qualifiers again. Cork were poor and with lots of injuries against Mayo.

Mayo only played one full strength good side this year, Kerry. And were thrashed. In other words, we made no progress worth talking about in 2011.

Some people see positives from this year's championship, but I only see negatives that need to be improved, bigtime, otherwise it will be worse in 2012, when the Cork and Tyrones of the championship are back to their best.

Fowler87 · 24-08-2011 10:29pm

ColeTrain wrote: »

Fermanagh had a second string team over there tbf.

Agree yeah but the way they destroyed them, it proved they were well prepared for this years Championship. Hopefully it il teach a lesson to others next year that London are no pushovers anymore

ColeTrain · 24-08-2011 10:34pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

Grand I will say this straight so.

Roscommon were poor this year, an average Tyrone team walloped them. Galway were poor, remind me how they did in the qualifiers again. Cork were poor and with lots of injuries against Mayo.

Mayo only played one full strength good side this year, Kerry. And were thrashed. In other words, we made no progress worth talking about in 2011.

Some people see positives from this year's championship, but I only see negatives that need to be improved, bigtime, otherwise it will be worse in 2012, when the Cork and Tyrones of the championship are back to their best.

Tyrone pulled away from Roscommon in the last 20 minutes.
Galway weren't far off beating Meath.

Neither of them are great sides granted but you can't just dismiss them like you have. You have to go out and put in a good performance to beat these teams in championship football.

The way you've dismissed Cork is laughable. They had injuries but were still expected to beat us handy, the bookies had us at 5/1.

Also, go back and read my post, we were not thrashed against Kerry. You can't just look at the score, you have to look at the overall picture. Kerry were the favourites and deserved it but we gave them a game.

The way you've summed us Mayo's summer is like you read the results off Aertel. Mayo have made good progress. Horan deserves praise, not any criticism from glory hunters like you.

We can improve but you need to look at last year and see where we were.

Btw you still haven't my question of what you were expecting after last year. That's three times now.

plasmaguy · 24-08-2011 10:41pm

ColeTrain wrote: »

Tyrone pulled away from Roscommon in the last 20 minutes.
Galway weren't far off beating Meath.

Neither of them are great sides granted but you can't just dismiss them like you have. You have to go out and put in a good performance to beat these teams in championship football.

The way you've dismissed Cork is laughable. They had injuries but were still expected to beat us handy, the bookies had us at 5/1.

Also, go back and read my post, we were not thrashed against Kerry. You can't just look at the score, you have to look at the overall picture. Kerry were the favourites and deserved it but we gave them a game.

The way you've summed us Mayo's summer is like you read the results off Aertel. Mayo have made good progress. Horan deserves praise, not any criticism from glory hunters like you.

We can improve but you need to look at last year and see where we were.

Btw you still haven't my question of what you were expecting after last year. That's three times now.

9 points is a thrashing, let's be realistic. It's all about putting the ball between the posts at the end of the day, and Kerry did that much better than we did. Everything else is pretty much irrelevant if you can't stick the ball between the posts.

I was expecting that we would put in a decent performance against Kerry, and stop making stupid basic mistakes in defence, midfield and attack, that handed the game to Kerry. It's no use playing well in patches or for 35 minutes against Kerry, which is what we did.

We made mistakes that a junior manager should have recognised and solved.

ColeTrain · 24-08-2011 10:51pm

plasmaguy wrote: »

9 points is a thrashing, let's be realistic. It's all about putting the ball between the posts at the end of the day, and Kerry did that much better than we did. Everything else is pretty much irrelevant if you can't stick the ball between the posts.

I was expecting that we would put in a decent performance against Kerry, and stop making stupid basic mistakes in defence, midfield and attack, that handed the game to Kerry. It's no use playing well in patches or for 35 minutes against Kerry, which is what we did.

We made mistakes that a junior manager should have recognised and solved.

You need to get it through your head that Kerry are the better team pure and simple.

That Mayo team has the potential to be better but at this moment in time Kerry have the class and the experience. I thought 9 points was a little flattering but the better team won and the team rated 7/2 lost.

You can blame Horan all you want but the facts are listed above.

You also didn't answer my question properly but that's fine, I take it you expected Horan to reach an All-Ireland after the embarrassment of last year.

yop · 24-08-2011 11:32pm

First off the goal this year was to aim to get a crop of young players in and start to build.
He did that and introduced 7 new lads to the championship.
London was a nightmare, then again London to their credit have come on MASSIVE leaps and Mayo went over the expecting to walk it. Cocky young lads nearly taught a lesson.

Considering also this is the managers first year in charge.

A Connaught final appearance was hoped for, achieved and we won it, people going to Ros that day expected for us to get beaten by the fit, hungry Ros team in their own back yard AND Connaught Champions.
We won this.

AI quarter finals - Up against the best team in the country for the last 18 months, 2 league title and an AI title. Yes they had a few injury issues but you don't become a bad team over night.
We were at 8/1, one of the longest odds given to a team in an AI QF or AI SF. At one stage we were 18/1 when after 15 minutes we were on our way out the door.

We ate into them, no fear and a physicality not seen from a Mayo team in decades.
We tore up the form books and piss*D on the bookies and pundits.

We played 4 games at that stage and in the 2nd halves conceded 4 points in total.

Then last Sunday, we expected Kerry to tear into us, a team going for 7 AI SF wins in a row, a team ladden with experience, AI medals and All-Stars.
We held them for near 30 minutes and we slobbered a few chances, we came out in the 2nd half and probably fans and players alike probably had it in our heads that our previous matches we won 2nd halves easily, Kerry thought different and players and management got caught cold.

I have been following Mayo now for over 35 years and year after year we expect to get to the AI, why not. Also after each time we get knocked out we have orgasmic fans spouting off utter rubbish, this year been no exception.
What I love about it is that you will find the same "experts" no where to be seen during FBD or league, except when we get to the finals.

Last Sunday was a basis to build, Dublin with Gilroy are in year 3, have they won an AI? How many AI finals have they got to????

I would be very curious to see these Junior Management issues, Cooper MAYBE could be labelled a mistake, but you have have put Jesus in a pair of boots on him last Sunday and he still couldn't mark him. Cooper put in his best performance in 2 years last Sunday.

Go back and watch the video again and watch what caused our problems, already mentioned, it was basic handling mistakes and poor shot selection, now since I have been around the manager can't pick the ball off the ground for them or shout at them on which shots to take, can he?

Its called a building process, he has made great progress this year, I travel to each match with a core of 30 Mayo GAA fans, most of us haven't missed a match in 5 years, home or away. The consensus last Sunday, even though we were gutted is that we are going in the right direction.

Barlett · 25-08-2011 12:26am

plasmaguy wrote: »

9 points is a thrashing, let's be realistic. It's all about putting the ball between the posts at the end of the day, and Kerry did that much better than we did. Everything else is pretty much irrelevant if you can't stick the ball between the posts.

I was expecting that we would put in a decent performance against Kerry, and stop making stupid basic mistakes in defence, midfield and attack, that handed the game to Kerry. It's no use playing well in patches or for 35 minutes against Kerry, which is what we did.

We made mistakes that a junior manager should have recognised and solved.

This is exactly the same reaction Pat Gilroy faced from certain sections of Dublin support after they were destroyed by Kerry in his first year. It's all good and well reckoning Tyrone will be a force next year but in all fairness how do you know? They were bad this year, they were bad last year (by their own standards) there's nothing to say they'll magically improved. If Cork suddenly become a poor side because they're missing their three forwards it doesn't say much for them...

Syferus · 25-08-2011 2:54am

yop wrote: »

A Connaught final appearance was hoped for, achieved and we won it, people going to Ros that day expected for us to get beaten by the fit, hungry Ros team in their own back yard AND Connaught Champions.
We won this.

Maybe among the fatalist camp within Mayo but to anyone not whipped up into a frenzy in Roscommon or indeed the bookmakers or naturals the Connacht final was a 50:50 affair with Mayo being ever so slightly favoured.

Indeed I saw Blackjack say Mayo were wrote off in all their games after London but that was definitely not the case - Mayo were favoured to beat Galway even more deeply than they were Roscommon.

Mayo have moved in the right direction this year but it's a bit much for a county that outside Kerry, Cork and Tyrone have easily been the most consistently good team in the country over the last decade to play the poor mouth.

Leave that to us counties that are still grasping for the light that Mayo supporters have known for a very long time!

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